Toelichting:
Program note (English): Galaxies come in many shapes and sizes. Some are elliptical while others like our own are spiral. Some spiral galaxies boast a central bar radiating our to join two immense spiral arms each containing many millions of stars. Such is the form of this work. The harmonic system is a huge barred spiral. The harp moves in towards the central harmonic bar from the distant regions of the eastern spiral arm. The huge energy generated by the core sends the music on its outward journey along the western spiral arm into the cold wastes and beyond the gravitational limits of the system. Harmonic poles are numbered in the score those of the eastern spiral arm from -11 to -1 and those in the western arm 1 to 13. The strange centre is designated 0. Transitions between harmonic poles are made gradually - some notes changing while others remain invariant. These invariants are used to highlight relations between neighbouring poles. This piece was written in 1996 for the harpist Maria Cleary whogave the first performance in the Royal Conservatory in Den Haag. - Richard Sims